Chile Enacts New Vaping Law Banning Sales to Minors, Restricting Ads to Enclosed Spaces

Key points: 

1.This phrase is commonly used in journalistic writing to highlight the main or most important aspects of a story, article, or event.

2.Chile will begin enforcing a new e-cigarette law on May 20, which will strictly regulate the sale, use, and advertising of e-cigarettes.

3.The new law prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes to minors and restricts their use in indoor public spaces.Advertising and promotion of e-cigarettes are tightly restricted and only permitted under specific conditions.

4.The new law also establishes strict penalties for violations, with fines of up to 34 million pesos (3.6 million dollars) for not including health warnings on packaging.

According to Chilean media outlet lahora, Chile began implementing Law No. 21,642 on May 20th, which imposes strict regulations on the sale, consumption, and advertising of e-cigarettes.

From now on, Chile will have stricter regulations on e-cigarettes. The new law explicitly prohibits the sale of e-cigarette products to individuals under the age of 18 and restricts their use in enclosed public spaces. This change aligns the legal status of e-cigarettes with that of traditional cigarettes.

The head of the Tobacco Control Office at the Ministry of Health, Celso Muñiz, stated:

"This regulation is not meant to ban e-cigarettes, but rather to set clear boundaries for protecting public health, especially the health of young people."

The new law also imposes strict restrictions on the advertising and display of e-cigarettes. Advertising can only take place inside sales points and must not be visible from the outside, nor can it be in close proximity to products related to minors. Additionally, any advertising within 400 meters of educational and medical institutions is prohibited.

In order to ensure compliance with regulations, the Department of Health and Regional Secretariats (Seremi) will be responsible for monitoring, which may include health inspections, closures, and fines. The amount of fines will depend on the violation, for example, using e-cigarettes in educational settings may result in a fine of at least 137,000 pesos ($146), while failure to include health warnings on packaging could lead to fines as high as 34,000,000 pesos ($3.6 million).